Sigil 007 Main
7:13:59 PM Forest Lord: Ok then, I shall begin then. 7:14:45 PM Forest Lord: So, last time, Quill revealed his terminal condition to his aunts. 7:14:54 PM Forest Lord: Hank and Jams washed clothes. 7:15:06 PM Forest Lord: It was very exciting. 7:15:54 PM Forest Lord: Oh, and then you all came across the remains of a crashed skyboat and saved it's two primary passengers, Osenas and Firael. 7:16:06 PM Forest Lord: And now you are all back in Nilhome. 7:16:34 PM Forest Lord: I'd say it's about midday by now. You all eat. 7:16:43 PM Forest Lord: And...feel free to do whatever you want now. 7:17:30 PM Quill: Quill is going to indulge in what I figure is a yearly ritual with his aunts. 7:18:10 PM Forest Lord: Ok. 7:19:03 PM Quill: Why did you take me up here? I'm not complaining, it's worked out very well for me. Probably far better than it would have down there. I'm just... still curious. 7:19:29 PM Forest Lord: You're talking to your aunts in the house, then? 7:19:34 PM Forest Lord: Is everyone else there for this? 7:19:43 PM Rune: Rune probably stuck with Quill unless he indicated it was private. 7:20:16 PM Quill: ((Anyone who wants to, he wouldn't make a big deal out of making it a private thing, and he doesn't expect a straight answer either. It's just something he does)) 7:20:52 PM Hank: Hank is still wForest Lording around the town. 7:21:00 PM Forest Lord: ((ok)) 7:22:02 PM Forest Lord: Trellin: "...your mother asked me to." 7:22:36 PM Forest Lord: Niya looks up a little shocked. Rune, you get the impression this is not the answer she usually gives. And Quill, you know she doesn't. 7:23:23 PM Quill: ... who was she? My birth mother. 7:24:21 PM Forest Lord: Trellin looks over at Rune and Niya. Niya shrugs. 7:24:37 PM Forest Lord: Trellin reaches over and grabs you by the shoulder. 7:24:48 PM Forest Lord: Trellin: "Your mother was a wonderful woman." 7:25:34 PM Forest Lord: Trellin: "Bridra was a passionate, loving person." 7:25:50 PM Forest Lord: Trellin: "And she would have loved you very much." 7:26:55 PM Quill: What happened to her? Is she still alive? 7:28:04 PM Forest Lord: Trellin: "No...no she...it's difficult to explain." 7:28:56 PM Quill: It's a binary state. Is she alive, or is she dead? If dead, is she undead? 7:29:31 PM Rune: To be completely fair, she could have ascended to godhood or something. 7:29:43 PM Rune: I mean, Taeral is technically dead. 7:29:46 PM Forest Lord: Niya: "We are pretty sure she's dead." 7:29:59 PM Forest Lord: Niya: "She was alive when we last saw her." 7:31:15 PM Forest Lord: Trellin: "Bridra was an acolyte of Lolth. She served in one of his temples that fell out of favor with the nobles that funded it." 7:31:41 PM Forest Lord: Trellin: "There was a revolt when the money fell away, and then an all out riot. She gave you to me and we ran." 7:33:10 PM Quill: Huh. I always thought it was something like that. I knew you didn't steal me. 7:33:58 PM Forest Lord: Trellin: "I am sorry. This was painful to talk about so...I never really did." 7:35:08 PM Quill: It's all right. I'm sorry to dredge it up -- I was expecting one of your old stories. Like the one where you found me in an Illithid cage. That one was creepy. 7:36:04 PM Rune: That would not be a good place for a baby. At all. 7:36:26 PM Forest Lord: Trellin: "We do not build our cities near the illithid. That would be suicide." 7:36:47 PM Quill: ... do you know who my father was? 7:37:25 PM Forest Lord: Trellin: "Not by name, but your mother spoke of him. He was a servant." 7:37:44 PM Forest Lord: Trellin: "Their union was...frowned upon by the family, somewhat." 7:38:14 PM Forest Lord: Niya: "Controversial joinings seems to be common for the Raes." She smiles at Trellin, who blushes slightly. 7:39:16 PM Rune: Are they? 7:39:27 PM Quill: Quill squeezes Rune's hand. 7:39:40 PM Rune: Rune doesn't sound offended, just curious. 7:40:25 PM Forest Lord: Niya: "Depends, are you rich?" 7:41:27 PM Rune: No. I don't think it's important so I haven't bothered with it. 7:42:20 PM Forest Lord: Niya: "Are you titled?" 7:43:10 PM Rune: Not yet. 7:43:39 PM Forest Lord: Niya: "And you're not a drow, or even elven. So, yeah, you fit the mold." 7:43:50 PM Quill: Quill gives Rune a thumbs up! 7:44:05 PM Forest Lord: Niya: "Congratulations." 7:44:21 PM Rune: You're both Drow. 7:44:33 PM Forest Lord: Trellin: "Our family is...was of some renown in the Underdark. And Niya's was...well..." 7:44:51 PM Forest Lord: Niya: "We were guards. It's not an honorable profession where we come from." 7:48:10 PM Quill: Really it's only a matter of time before Rune gets titled. Someone sensible will realize she's indispensable. Then she'll get arranged to be married, and I'll have to duel someone. 7:49:38 PM Rune: I don't think I'd arrange to get married. 7:50:24 PM Forest Lord: Trellin: "I am not sure how the practice works. I understand it is more prevalent in other cultures." 7:51:40 PM Rune: I'd rather marry for companionship, I think. 7:51:57 PM Forest Lord: Trellin: "It is more fun that way." 7:52:27 PM Quill: Good, I wasn't looking forward to a duel. 7:52:35 PM Quill: I mean, I was really going to have to cheat. 7:52:42 PM Quill: I was going to cheat so hard. 7:52:45 PM Forest Lord: Trellin: "I do not have a family name, but I believe your father's first name was Sengo." 7:53:14 PM Rune: That's very reassuring, actually. 7:53:34 PM Forest Lord: Trellin: "But I would not advocate going back for him. Going into the Underdark unescorted is dangerous for a male and more dangerous for outsiders." 7:53:57 PM Quill: I had no plans to. 7:54:01 PM Rune: To be fair, he wouldn't be completely unescorted. 7:54:13 PM Quill: But... it's good to have a name. Just in case we ever end up down there. 7:54:17 PM Quill: YOu never know. 7:54:38 PM Quill: I mean, we once ended up in Death's Realm. 7:54:49 PM Forest Lord: Trellin: "This is true. I never thought I'd see Xathym again, if that's who that was." 7:54:59 PM Quill: ...wait, you knew him? 7:55:19 PM Forest Lord: Trellin: "...did I not mention this?" 7:55:31 PM Quill: I don't think so. 7:55:55 PM Quill: You might have, and I might not have noticed -- there was a lot going on. 7:56:14 PM Forest Lord: ((She did not :) )) 7:56:56 PM Forest Lord: Trellin: "...know is a strong word. He was one of our family's slaves from a long time back." 7:57:19 PM Rune: So more like "oppress." 7:58:12 PM Forest Lord: Trellin: "...yes, sadly. Your mother and I never owned him, or any other slaves. But some of our cousins...it's not an uncommon practice here." 7:58:34 PM Quill: ... I wonder if he realized who I was. 7:59:36 PM Forest Lord: Trellin: "Don't know. ...I should go lie down now, it's possible I've had a bit to drink." 8:00:06 PM Forest Lord: Trellin gets up to go upstairs. 8:00:45 PM Rune: It's normal cultural practice in a lot of places. 8:00:58 PM Rune: It makes me wonder what we do other people find horrifying. 8:01:04 PM Quill: Quill gets up and hugs her. 8:02:12 PM Quill: Oh, there's probably plenty of things. 8:03:17 PM Rune: Almost certainly. And we probably don't think about them at all. 8:07:14 PM Quill: I'm sure our usage of spoons is horribly offensive to someone. 8:08:18 PM Forest Lord: Taeral: "I am sure I could think of some, given time." 8:08:29 PM Forest Lord: Taeral: "And a history book or two." 8:09:45 PM Rune: Exactly. 8:09:59 PM Quill: Quill looks around. (Who's all here?)) 8:10:12 PM Hank: Hank enters the house. 8:10:38 PM Quill: Oh, hey, Hank. 8:10:47 PM Forest Lord: Hank is also quite wet. 8:11:04 PM Quill: .... You do remember what water does, right? 8:11:08 PM Hank: Hello how is everyone? 8:11:46 PM Hank: Yes I do, I was just checking something. 8:12:08 PM Rune: She didn't push you into the water, did she? 8:12:10 PM Quill: ((He's dripping wet in his clothes? He's not like wearing a swimsuit.)) 8:12:40 PM Hank: She who? 8:12:53 PM Rune: Anomie. 8:13:20 PM Forest Lord: ((He is in his armor, and wet)) 8:13:58 PM Hank: I haven't seen Jim since we got back from the crash. 8:14:20 PM Quill: What were you checking? 8:15:56 PM Hank: The cave and ship from last night. 8:16:21 PM Quill: What were you looking for? 8:18:07 PM Hank: I found some evidence that someone has been back there since we left. 8:18:36 PM Quill: Probably the gnomes. 8:19:31 PM Hank: Maybe. 8:19:45 PM Rune: I wonder who it was. 8:20:13 PM Quill: It was either the gnomes, or maybe even Xanthym, seeing if anything could be salvaged. 8:23:34 PM Quill: What were you looking for, though? 8:25:33 PM Hank: Just something to do while thinking about things, nothing important. 8:26:17 PM Rune: I worry when you keep secrets. 8:26:22 PM Rune: Partly because you're not very good at it. 8:26:38 PM Hank: Hank will start drying off. 8:26:56 PM Quill: Well, I was going to show you guys the crystal cave. 8:27:02 PM Hank: I told you where I went, and what I found. 8:27:05 PM Forest Lord: By now you're mostly dry, but you are careful enough that your armor doesn't rust. 8:27:35 PM Rune: The last time you kept secrets from us you forgot what fire does, and the time before that you made a deal with a terrifying fae entity. 8:27:51 PM Hank: Crystal cave sounds like a good idea. 8:28:07 PM Rune: Yes. 8:30:03 PM Nilani: Anna shows up again, with a light dusting of forest debris. 8:31:03 PM Forest Lord: Ok, so you go off to the cave. 8:31:27 PM Quill: Quill takes his friends to the cave! "So, don't eat the crystals. Or do, I guess, I'm not your boss." 8:32:06 PM Rune: I don't think it would be good for your teeth. 8:32:47 PM Quill: They're like... sugar crystals more than rock crystal. I tasted them when I was a kid. 8:32:55 PM Forest Lord: When you first arrive, it looks...unimpressive. 8:33:05 PM Forest Lord: It looks like a big hole in the side of a cliff. 8:33:29 PM Rune: Oh. That's quite interesting. 8:33:34 PM Forest Lord: But as you go inside, you do see that the walls are paved with this bright, colorful crystals jutting out of the sides. 8:33:51 PM Forest Lord: You see all different sorts of colors and Quill, you even notice a couple colors that weren't there before. 8:34:01 PM Quill: Huh, some of them are new. 8:34:10 PM Rune: They're glowing. 8:34:45 PM Quill: Quill smiles. 8:34:58 PM Quill: ((Do I remember the effects the different colors have? If so, I relate them.)) 8:35:32 PM Forest Lord: ((Red got you high, blue were tasty, green made you sick. Yellow and purple you have no idea.)) 8:36:12 PM Quill: Quill tells them! "If you must taste one, stick to blue." 8:36:19 PM Quill: Taeral, what do you think? 8:36:38 PM Rune: Rune does try a blue one. 8:36:48 PM Forest Lord: Taeral: "It's very impressive. I assume they taste good too." 8:37:19 PM Quill: I mean... magery-wise, any ideas? 8:37:27 PM Forest Lord: It basically tastes like rock candy. It's really crunchy sugar, although, you also think you may have gotten a bug that was trapped in there, Jurassic Park style. 8:38:19 PM Forest Lord: Taeral: "If I had to guess, I'd say that the cave walls hold a few different chemical compounds. I'd have to use an alchemical lab and some test samples to really know what, though." 8:38:51 PM Hank: Hank will pick one randomly. 8:39:13 PM Quill: Stay away from the green ones -- they make you sick. 8:39:44 PM Forest Lord: Hank, roll a d6 for me. 8:40:01 PM Hank: (( 4)) 8:40:10 PM Forest Lord: Do you eat it? 8:40:25 PM Hank: Hank does. 8:42:09 PM Forest Lord: As you chew it, it tastes good, but you don't feel any different. ...then you realize...it got a lot smaller in here. 8:42:38 PM Forest Lord: Hank has grown to about 15ft tall. 8:42:45 PM Rune: ... oh dear. 8:42:55 PM Forest Lord: His head is just touching the ceiling. 8:42:55 PM Quill: ((Which color did he eat?)) 8:43:01 PM Forest Lord: ((yellow)) 8:43:17 PM Hank: You didn't warn about size changing Quill. 8:43:23 PM Rune: Rune breaks off a small piece of each color crystal and pockets them. 8:43:50 PM Quill: I said the yellow and the purple were new to me. 8:44:05 PM Quill: ((Did his gear change with him? 8:44:40 PM Forest Lord: Yes, everything grew. 8:45:00 PM Quill: Well, it's probably temporary. 8:45:09 PM Rune: Rune actually takes multiple pieces of the yellow and purple, since she's not sure what the purple does. 8:45:11 PM Nilani: Here's hoping. 8:46:09 PM Forest Lord: Incidentally, Rune, as you grab the crystals you see they are not glowing. The ones you saw seemed to be covering an illuminated moss and emphasizing the lighting effect. 8:46:18 PM Forest Lord: Pulling them away, they dull again. 8:46:39 PM Forest Lord: Hank, can you roll a dex save for me, please? 8:47:18 PM Hank: (( 5 )) 8:47:54 PM Forest Lord: As you try and move, you bang your head on the cave ceiling and there's a low rumble all around you. You all note the walls begin to shake. 8:48:05 PM Quill: .... 8:48:12 PM Quill: It's never done that before. 8:48:19 PM Quill: I hope this isn't one of those caves that's a mouth. 8:48:20 PM Rune: Get out, Hank. 8:48:59 PM Hank: Hank will head for the exit. 8:49:44 PM Forest Lord: Too late, rocks atop the cave entrance collapse in, trapping you all in the cave. 8:50:17 PM Quill: ((Does it keep rumbling?)) 8:50:26 PM Forest Lord: Nope, it's over. 8:50:38 PM Hank: Hank will try moving the rocks. 8:50:53 PM Forest Lord: Make a strength check, with adv. 8:51:10 PM Hank: (( 15)) 8:51:27 PM Forest Lord: No such luck. You get some to budge a bit, but the larger rocks are stuck. 8:52:01 PM Hank: Is there another way out of the cave Quill? 8:53:24 PM Quill: I never went too terribly far from the entrance when I came here. So I'm not sure. 8:54:25 PM Quill: There are passages, but I don't know where they lead. I never followed them. 8:55:38 PM Hank: Well that seems like our only option. I hope they are large passages. 8:56:17 PM Quill: Anna, you have any tricks that could move the rocks? 8:57:05 PM Hank: Hank will carefully look for one of the paths in the cave. 8:57:46 PM Forest Lord: It's not hard to find, you go in a bit, and you can see them branch off and go down. 8:58:35 PM Nilani: Let's see. I'd say Thunderwave might have an effect, but it might bring some more rocks down, too. 9:00:05 PM Quill: We can check the passages first, see if any of them go back up. If not, we can come back here and at the very least I should be able to teleport through the rocks so we can get help. 9:01:19 PM Forest Lord: So, what do you guys do? 9:01:36 PM Quill: ((Passages first, I think.)) 9:02:13 PM Hank: One of you can try and reach Jim on the badge. 9:02:35 PM Hank: Hank will head for the largest path as he says this. 9:03:07 PM Rune: Rune does try to reach her friend! 9:03:36 PM Forest Lord: You go over the comms? Ok, what do you say? 9:03:47 PM Quill: Quill will go ahead with Hank, since he has good darkvision. 9:04:26 PM Forest Lord: Ok, you guys head down as Rune contacts Anomie over the comms. 9:04:50 PM Quill: ((YEah, I think we're all still together, I just want to be at the front.)) 9:05:01 PM Forest Lord: (( ok )) 9:06:51 PM Hank: (( does the cave structure or crystals change at all as we go down the path?)) 9:07:48 PM Forest Lord: It does a bit. Stallactites start to form, and it widens out a bit into a more traditional looking cave. You also find more purples and yellows. 9:09:20 PM Hank: Hank will try to get a purple without anyone noticing. 9:09:46 PM Rune: Rune says "Anomie, are you there?" 9:10:16 PM Forest Lord: Anomie comes in over the comms: "Oh, hey guys. Yeah, I'm at the bar." 9:10:48 PM Forest Lord: Everyone sees Hank take a purple crystal. 9:10:54 PM Rune: We're trapped in a crystal cave. It's all right, though. 9:10:57 PM Rune: Rune eyes Hank. 9:11:24 PM Hank: Hank will eat it anyway. 9:11:53 PM Forest Lord: As you eat it Hank, you taste...nothing. Absolutely nothing. But when you're done, you're back to your regular height. 9:12:20 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "Oh, shit! Ok, I'll go get help!" 9:12:20 PM Hank: That's much better. 9:12:33 PM Rune: Oh no, don't worry about it for now. We're just looking around. 9:12:39 PM Rune: I'll let you know if we get stuck in here. 9:14:25 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "Oh...uh...ok. I'll be here, I guess." 9:15:55 PM Quill: Quill looks around the cave, looking for any signs of habitation or anything. 9:16:04 PM Rune: That was very sweet. Be careful. 9:16:34 PM Forest Lord: As you go further in, Quill, you do see something. You all do. ...there's a light in a little offshoot of the cavern you're in. Like from a torch. 9:17:45 PM Rune: Oh, look at that. 9:17:47 PM Rune: Rune points. 9:18:16 PM Hank: Hank will head to the offshoot. 9:18:55 PM Forest Lord: As you all approach, you hear a soft but deep voice. It's muttering something. 9:19:32 PM Rune: Excuse me. 9:19:45 PM Forest Lord: You call this from outside? 9:20:07 PM Rune: Rune follows Hank. 9:21:06 PM Quill: Quill follows. 9:21:16 PM Forest Lord: Before you enter, as Rune calls out, the muttering stops. And moments later, a small gnomish figure appears. He's very old and dressed in foul-smelling rags. He has a thick white beard, a bald, liver-spotted head, and a small cane. 9:21:31 PM Forest Lord: Gnome: "...hello. ...pardon me, I must ask, are you real?" 9:21:48 PM Rune: Yes. 9:21:51 PM Rune: Why? 9:22:17 PM Forest Lord: Gnome: "...not sure I buy that. That's what an illusion would say. Possibly a delusion too. ...quick, tell me something only you would know!" 9:23:37 PM Forest Lord: ((...are people typing? I cannot see anything.)) 9:23:51 PM Rune: I'm not sure what I know that you wouldn't. 9:24:13 PM Rune: Besides, I could be making it up if I wasn't real. 9:25:02 PM Forest Lord: Gnome: "...that's a very good point...I'll have to take my chances, please come in all of you. I'll make tea." 9:25:44 PM Rune: Rune nods. 9:25:48 PM Forest Lord: Gnome: "Oh, and be mindful. There are many things in here that could explode if not handled properly. ...or, perhaps explode into a horde of butterflies." 9:25:49 PM Rune: I'm Rune, this is Quill, Hank and Anna. 9:25:59 PM Quill: I am super-real. 9:26:20 PM Forest Lord: Gnome: "Pleasure to meet you all, I am Sprout. ...I think I am, anyway. It's what I like calling myself." 9:26:34 PM Quill: It's as good a name as any. How long have you been here? 9:26:55 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "Um...let me see...what day is it today? Tuesday?" 9:27:21 PM Rune: Sunday. 9:27:49 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "Oh. In that case, 257 years, 3 months, and 12 days." 9:28:01 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "...I think." 9:28:58 PM Forest Lord: As you enter, you find a cozy little home built into the cave. He has lanterns set up, a small kitchen area, a bed, and so many different colored crystals and vials of chemicals. Bubbling, steaming, swirling chemicals. 9:29:32 PM Hank: What are you working on here? 9:30:21 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "Oh, a few things. I've created some elixirs, medicines, trapped a few spells in the crystals here." 9:30:43 PM Rune: We accidentally caved in the entrance. 9:31:22 PM Quill: Ohhhh, that was you? With the crystals? 9:31:30 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "Oh...well, I'm afraid I only have the one bed. But I have some food supplies. Do you like moss?" 9:32:10 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "Oh, yes, I did. Originally they were just plain clear ones. Good source of protein, but not much for flavor. Then, I experimented." 9:32:11 PM Rune: I don't think I've tried it before. 9:32:19 PM Hank: Do you know of any other exits? 9:33:45 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "No, no, afraid not. Well...one...but I don't recommend it." 9:33:56 PM Quill: Is there something horrible guarding it? 9:34:26 PM Hank: Hank will be carefully observing one of the lanterns. 9:34:49 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "No, some horrible things in it, but probably not so bad for you. You seem fit. It's just...well...I don't think you'd enjoy walking through feces." 9:35:03 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "Also, if you take a wrong turn, you could end up at an illithid camp." 9:35:16 PM Quill: ... that's a very wrong turn. 9:35:29 PM Rune: There are Illithid this close to the town? 9:35:50 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "Three miles, out, I think, and a long way down." 9:36:24 PM Quill: So you mean, we'd literally fall into an illithid camp. 9:36:40 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "It's entirely possible, yes." 9:36:54 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "And, again, several miles of feces first." 9:37:15 PM Quill: ...why are you here, anyway? 9:37:34 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "Oh, I came here on an expedition long ago." 9:38:07 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "I was here to gather some flora, bring it back home, but...we did not predict the waves as we should have." 9:38:18 PM Hank: Hank is staying away from the lantern but still observing it very carefully. 9:38:36 PM Hank: What waves? 9:38:51 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "What do you mean?" 9:39:12 PM Hank: What waves did you not predict? 9:39:38 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "...the ones that...what was it called...a large wooden structure...designed to float." 9:39:58 PM Hank: Boat? 9:40:19 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "Sort of, anyway. It crashed. Everyone died. Everyone except me." 9:40:39 PM Hank: Crashed around here? 9:40:43 PM Rune: That's very sad. 9:41:01 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "Yes, long time ago. I guess it is. Honestly, I don't remember it that well anymore." 9:42:25 PM Quill: ... a ship. Transporting flora? Were they myconids? 9:42:30 PM Hank: Hank will pull out the paper with the copied runes on it " was this the name of the ship?" 9:42:54 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "No, I don't think so. We carried some mushrooms with us, though." 9:43:07 PM Forest Lord: Sprout takes the paper. "That does look somewhat familiar." 9:43:24 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "Pozarica...yes...The Pozarica." 9:45:15 PM Quill: Was that the ship that the myconids were in, Hank? 9:45:44 PM Hank: Yes, I copied down the name since I couldn't read it. 9:46:25 PM Quill: I'd guess Xanthym found the ship and converted it into a myconid prison or something. 9:46:34 PM Quill: ...why have you stayed here? There's a village not far from here. 9:47:23 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "Not when I first arrived, there wasn't. If it is there now...I'm not sure I can live with people anymore." 9:48:02 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "This forest, this cave, that doesn't frighten me. I know it well. ...I don't know people anymore." 9:49:11 PM Quill: Well, you're doing okay with us so far. 9:50:11 PM Forest Lord: Sprout smiles. "Yes, I guess I am." 9:50:28 PM Forest Lord: Sprout serves out the tea. It's actually not bad, if a bit...stale. 9:51:08 PM Quill: ((Is he a deep gnome? Or a surface gnome?)) 9:51:21 PM Forest Lord: ((He is a surface gnome)) 9:52:08 PM Rune: Thank you. 9:52:12 PM Rune: Tea has a way of making things better. 9:52:22 PM Quill: I mean... no one says you have to go to the village, you can stay here, but maybe you could make contact. Get some new teas, for one. 9:52:48 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "...yes, I suppose so. Rocks caved in, you say?" 9:53:09 PM Quill: Yeah, can you help us move them? 9:53:36 PM Forest Lord: Sprout grabs one of the yellow crystals and a purple one. "I think so, here, eat this." 9:53:50 PM Forest Lord: He hands you the yellow one. 9:54:09 PM Quill: This one makes you big, right? Hank tried that. 9:54:43 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "The yellow ones contain a variety of spells. If I am right, that one should give you telekinesis briefly." 9:54:57 PM Rune: How can you tell? 9:55:03 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "Or, I'm wrong and it's polymorph. But that's what the purple one is for." 9:55:11 PM Quill: Quill shrugs, and tries it! 9:55:18 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "I can't. I just take very detailed notes on where I leave things." 9:55:43 PM Forest Lord: Quill, you feel your mind expand and...it's like you can now see the atoms within everything and how they work, how they move. 9:55:59 PM Quill: ... whoa, headrush. 9:56:42 PM Rune: Did it work? 9:58:34 PM Quill: I... think so? I think I can move the rocks. Also your atoms are lovely. 9:59:19 PM Rune: Rune blushes blue. 9:59:21 PM Rune: Thank you. 9:59:59 PM Quill: ... how long with this last, Sprout? 10:00:32 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "One hour, I think. If it starts to hurt, eat the purple one, that should undo the effects." 10:01:11 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "But whatever you do, don't eat another yellow one until it wears off." 10:01:31 PM Hank: Why not? 10:01:55 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "It would be BAD!" 10:03:12 PM Hank: You tried it? 10:03:16 PM Quill: Good to know. 10:03:25 PM Rune: He's unfortunately very curious. 10:03:41 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "No, but I imagine it would be BAD!" 10:03:56 PM Hank: Hmmm 10:04:06 PM Quill: I'm going to take the nice gentleman's word for it. 10:04:39 PM Rune: I'm going to try to fix it when Hank eats it anyway. 10:05:36 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "Some times it's best to just take an expert's word on things." 10:07:15 PM Hank: True, but said expert has also lived in a cave for 200 years or so. 10:07:45 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "And doing so kept me alive for 200 years. Clearly, I am onto something." 10:08:34 PM Quill: He lived in a cave making the damn things, Hank. 10:08:46 PM Quill: Anyway. We never knew that someone lived here. 10:08:58 PM Quill: ... well, if we did, no one told me. 10:09:07 PM Hank: Shouldn't we go clear the rocks Quill. 10:09:27 PM Quill: Right, right. 10:09:33 PM Rune: Right. 10:09:35 PM Rune: Rune nods. 10:09:51 PM Forest Lord: Sprout: "Well, good luck with that. If I get lonely again, I may check out your village." 10:10:04 PM Rune: It's a very nice village. 10:10:57 PM Quill: Quill waves, and goes to use his brain power on the rocks! 10:11:09 PM Forest Lord: Sprout waves back. 10:11:44 PM Forest Lord: You go back and can indeed move the rocks with your mind. Can you give me just a straight INT roll, though? 10:13:32 PM Quill: ((15!)) 10:14:10 PM Forest Lord: Ok, you manage to do so and only almost cause another cave in. Through some trial and error, you clear a safe passageway out. 10:14:59 PM Quill: Whoo! 10:18:07 PM Forest Lord: So, you're out now. 10:18:48 PM Hank: Hank will grab two yellows onthe way out. 10:19:06 PM Quill: ...did you ask him if you could take some? 10:20:14 PM Hank: ... no. 10:20:25 PM Rune: I did too. To be fair that was before I knew someone lived here. 10:21:22 PM Hank: See it's fine. 10:22:55 PM Quill: .... I don't think that's how it works, but whatever. Let's just get home. 10:24:02 PM Rune: Yes. 10:24:09 PM Rune: That would be a nice place for a wedding. 10:24:29 PM Forest Lord: Taeral smiles in his ball. 10:25:24 PM Nilani: It is certainly pretty. 10:25:56 PM Hank: You would need a warning to not eat the crystals. 10:26:44 PM Rune: Do you normally eat random objects you find lying around? 10:26:59 PM Quill: I only did because I was a kid. Usually people dont' eat crystals. 10:27:30 PM Rune: Exactly. Children normally do that sort of thing. 10:27:38 PM Quill: When you're an adult, that sort of thing doesn't occur unless someone suggests it. 10:28:33 PM Forest Lord: So, you guys arrive back at the village. 10:28:57 PM Quill: Quill contacts Anomie on the way back so no one worries. 10:29:20 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "Oh, good. Great." 10:29:45 PM Rune: Are you all right? 10:30:08 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "Yeah." 10:30:56 PM Rune: If you go back to someone's place make sure it isn't a homicidal maniac. Thank you for being our backup! 10:31:38 PM Quill: If Faeral does something untoward, tell us so Rune can beat her up. 10:32:14 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "Thanks guys, I'm going away now. By-ee." 10:33:35 PM Quill: Quill laughs. "That was fun. I suppose we should make plans for our next move, huh?" 10:33:41 PM Rune: Yes. 10:34:51 PM Quill: I mean, it's been nice coming home, but we have a terrifying extradimensional city to find. 10:35:28 PM Rune: Yes. 10:36:36 PM Quill: We're best off getting a caravan up -- maybe we can commission Vanhorn. 10:37:24 PM Rune: Rune nods. 10:37:26 PM Rune: That's a good idea. 10:39:36 PM Hank: Hank will close his eyes and lean against a building. 10:39:57 PM Hank: That is really weird when it happens. 10:40:04 PM Quill: ...what happens? 10:40:05 PM Rune: What is? 10:40:31 PM Hank: Another flash of knowledge from Ioun. 10:41:10 PM Hank: Four stones and a red book with a snake on it. 10:41:46 PM Hank: Is what I think we are looking for. 10:42:19 PM Rune: I wonder where we can find it. 10:43:00 PM Quill: Hmmm. Are the stones all the same? 10:43:05 PM Quill: Are they gems? 10:46:36 PM Hank: Small stones with markings that I can't understand... except I know somehow that the markings mean up, down , left and , right. 10:46:59 PM Hank: And the book will be in a big library. 10:48:25 PM Quill: Probably in the city, then. I guess we need all these things to open a portal to Sigil, maybe? 10:49:37 PM Hank: Your guess is as good as mine, I think I have a headache now from that vision. 10:52:00 PM Quill: Hmmm. .... I wonder what the city will be like. I'm a bit worried. 10:52:48 PM Hank: Any reason in particular you are worried? 10:54:50 PM Rune: They're assholes. 10:54:53 PM Rune: And we're not rich. 10:54:55 PM Quill: ... yeah, that. 10:55:24 PM Quill: I've live in the shadow of that place since I was a child. That's... 120 years, Hank. 10:55:38 PM Rune: If I'd known it was going to be that important I'd've gotten rich sooner, but it doesn't seem a terribly good thing to be overall. 10:57:21 PM Quill: Oh, I'm not sorry I'm not rich. 10:57:55 PM Rune: No. You'd probably be the biggest arsehole of all if you were. 10:58:54 PM Rune: I mean, you're already good-looking. It would be very difficult to be both and not be insufferable. 10:59:11 PM Forest Lord: Do you guys go looking for Vanhorn, then? 10:59:38 PM Quill: Quill does, if he's about. IF he's not, he leaves a message with his family. 11:00:11 PM Forest Lord: You can find Vanhorn in the town square. He seems to be hanging out, eating a sandwich. 11:01:50 PM Quill: Quill waves. "Are you ever not eating a sandwich?" 11:02:19 PM Forest Lord: Vanhorn: "It's got your protein, starch and veggies all in there, man. Perfect food." 11:03:53 PM Rune: They are delightful. 11:04:15 PM Quill: A sandwich is not a food. It's foods. It's many foods. It is not one-- nevermind. I wanted to talk to you about carting us up, and when you could do that, and your rates and such. 11:05:01 PM Forest Lord: Vanhorn: "Well, I'm taking the high-borns you brought in up tomorrow, if you wanna hitch a ride for a silver a head." 11:05:25 PM Quill: Oh, that'd be perfect. 11:05:31 PM Forest Lord: Vanhorn: "Just don't tell them about your discount. I'm getting ten gold for each of them." 11:05:46 PM Rune: We can probably pay more. 11:05:52 PM Quill: Quill gives him 10 gold for the whole group. 11:06:10 PM Forest Lord: Vanhorn: "Nice! 30 gold in one day. Awesome man." 11:06:24 PM Quill: When do we shove off? 11:07:17 PM Forest Lord: Vanhorn: "They wanna be up top by midday, so we gotta leave bright and early, man." 11:07:34 PM Quill: All right. Assuming we don't get kidnapped by slavers, we'll be here. 11:07:48 PM Quill: Oh, depending on how things go for Anomie, the ride up could be wonderfully awkward. 11:08:00 PM Rune: How so? 11:08:53 PM Quill: Well, if they go badly or awkwardly with Faeral.... they don't get to just go their separate ways and never see each other again, do they? 11:10:38 PM Forest Lord: Taeral: "I guess they could sit on opposite ends of the cart for however many hours." 11:11:35 PM Rune: ... I don't know what the etiquette is for that. 11:12:47 PM Forest Lord: Taeral: "In my experience, awkward silence and a lot of avoiding eye contact." 11:13:19 PM Quill: And asking innocently 'so how did it go'. 11:13:34 PM Forest Lord: Taeral: "That's what other people do." 11:13:47 PM Forest Lord: Taeral: "But part of the tradition." 11:14:55 PM Hank: So what are our goals while in the city? 11:16:56 PM Quill: The Mages Guild, mostly. 11:17:05 PM Quill: Maybe we'll get a lead on this book and the stones. 11:18:10 PM Forest Lord: Taeral: "Rune has our ticket in, so, we should be able to go straight there." 11:18:20 PM Rune: Right. 11:19:14 PM Quill: I expect there will be no shortage of hoops to jump through. 11:21:19 PM Hank: Or things could go perfectly with absolutely no problems or holdups. 11:21:36 PM Quill: Quill laughs. 11:21:36 PM Rune: Rune laughs. 11:21:50 PM Quill: ((That was not planned.)) 11:22:00 PM Forest Lord: (( :) )) 11:22:26 PM Rune: I don't think we'll have to worry about that. 11:23:09 PM Forest Lord: So, people wanna call it a night? 11:23:56 PM Quill: ((Does ANomie come back? Does Rune have to beat someone up?)) 11:24:26 PM Forest Lord: If we skip to that night, Anomie does try and sneak in around dinner. 11:26:56 PM Forest Lord: We can squish that if people want or we can skip it, up to whoever feels like they wanna stay up. 11:27:24 PM Quill: ((I'm game, it's only 8:30 for me.)) 11:29:45 PM Forest Lord: Ok, I'll say it's late enough most people have gone to be. Quill, you're up, anyone else who wants to be is up. 11:30:02 PM Rune: Oh, you're back! 11:30:06 PM Rune: Did you have a nice time? 11:30:16 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "Um...yeah...pretty nice...uh...hi." 11:30:54 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "Why didn't you say she was rich? That would've gotten me there so much quicker!" 11:31:15 PM Forest Lord: For the record, Anomie looks like she was naked for a bit and got redressed in a hurry. 11:31:27 PM Rune: I don't see what that has to do with anything. 11:31:43 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "You didn't just lose your entire fortune." 11:32:16 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "I'm not saying it guarantees a thing, but it helps get her foot in the door...or vice versa. Someone's foot was in someone's door." 11:32:18 PM Rune: No, I just never had one. 11:32:41 PM Rune: Is that a metaphor? It must be a metaphor. 11:32:44 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "...that was not a euphemism. I mean, it was but not...like...yeah." 11:33:15 PM Quill: Quill is making a face at the talk of foots and doors. 11:33:28 PM Quill: But of course she's rich. 11:33:33 PM Rune: I just thought she seemed nice. 11:34:00 PM Rune: I think considerate people would be better at that sort of thing. 11:34:01 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "And she was...you know...mostly. Nice, I mean. It was...um...not my usual thing, I guess." 11:35:02 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "...but, like, don't beat her up. Just...I dunno." 11:35:38 PM Rune: Well, that's good. 11:35:40 PM Quill: Enigmatic. 11:35:49 PM Rune: We met a gnome. He was nice. 11:36:08 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "...I assume we're talking nice in a different context." 11:36:46 PM Hank: Of the cave people we have met he had the best tea. 11:37:33 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "Ok, is everyone here listening to me talk about sex? Tiprus isn't gonna come out of the floor or something, right?" 11:38:20 PM Rune: No, I don't think so. Why? 11:38:25 PM Quill: I think most of them went to bed. 11:38:30 PM Quill: We're leaving in the morning. 11:40:07 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "Oh, good. Like, your town is lovely, but this is so not my element." 11:40:21 PM Rune: You're learning things, though, so it's not a bad thing. 11:41:01 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "Yes, I learned how to burn myself, clean shit out of my clothes and how to get grabbed by slavers." 11:42:57 PM Rune: Cleaning your clothes is a useful skill. 11:45:00 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "Well, I'll be glad to get back to learning my city lessons." 11:45:51 PM Quill: It's not always cities. 11:46:08 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "What isn't?" 11:48:21 PM Quill: The world. Life. Everything. 11:48:35 PM Quill: Anyway, you didn't know not to burn yourself before? 11:49:17 PM Rune: How old are you, anyway? 11:49:17 PM Hank: Hey, some of us have a hard time with that. 11:49:26 PM Rune: You have a reason. 11:49:51 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "It's rude to ask a lady her age, Rune. Honestly." 11:49:58 PM Rune: You're not a lady. 11:50:12 PM Rune: You're just a woman, same as me. 11:50:26 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "For the moment." 11:50:37 PM Rune: Yes. Either way, unless you haven't mentioned it, no title and no land. 11:50:48 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "...I never had to cook before. Either food was provided for me, or I stole already made." 11:51:26 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "...I'm 18." 11:51:47 PM Rune: Oh, you're about my age, then. It's hard to tell on me too. 11:52:35 PM Quill: ... all non-elven aging is weird. 11:52:50 PM Quill: 18 for us is... much much younger. 11:53:09 PM Rune: I don't know if I will be aging terribly much anymore. 11:54:04 PM Rune: I seem to be a lot closer to my devil heritage than most tieflings, and grandmother never bothered with that sort of thing either. 11:55:11 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "How do you know?" 11:55:50 PM Rune: I don't. But I don't look a bit like my parents. 11:56:11 PM Rune: So probably I'm a cuckoo of some kind. 11:56:15 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "...I thought you were raised by your grandma. Have you ever seen your parents?" 11:56:59 PM Rune: Oh no, but she did. She said they looked like they were entirely human and not a bit tiefling at all, except my father had a funny eye. 11:57:37 PM Forest Lord: Anomie: "...huh. ...I dunno, every tiefling I've ever known aged like a human." 11:58:27 PM Rune: Tiprus and Belza definitely don't, though, so I don't know. I'm not going to worry about it for now, though. 12:00:10 AM Forest Lord: Anomie shrugs. "Other reason it might be good to get out of here, gives me some distance from Faeril. Just...might be nice if we didn't rush into another date so soon." 12:00:27 AM Rune: Are you dating her? 12:01:08 AM Forest Lord: Anomie: "No, but I'm not sure what else to call it. Hook up felt too...sex-oriented. We did spend a lot of the time just hanging at the bar." 12:01:52 AM Rune: That does sound more like a date. 12:02:25 AM Forest Lord: Anomie: "But I wouldn't call us "dating"." 12:02:40 AM Quill: Good news, then, we'll be traveling with them up to the city tomorrow. 12:02:53 AM Rune: Casual date, then. That'll be fine. 12:02:55 AM Forest Lord: Anomie: ".............what." 12:04:32 AM Forest Lord: Anomie: "...ok then." 12:05:07 AM Quill: Vanhorn's taking them tomorrow, we're going along. 12:05:24 AM Forest Lord: Anomie: "...well, that's...ok." 12:07:47 AM Rune: I'm sure you'll be fine. 12:08:38 AM Forest Lord: Anomie: "Yeah, sure it will." 12:09:02 AM Rune: You're good with people. 12:09:47 AM Quill: You are, actually. 12:10:22 AM Forest Lord: Anomie: "Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. She spent the whole day with me. I'm betting she's gonna get super clingy now." 12:10:58 AM Forest Lord: Anomie: "I'm just too amazing for most people, and most of them don't get to have sex with me." 12:11:13 AM Rune: ... I'm slightly skeptical of that claim. 12:11:27 AM Rune: Don't most of your friends want to kill you? 12:11:29 AM Quill: .... 12:11:36 AM Quill: I mean, we don't, for the most part. 12:11:44 AM Quill: Belza is iffy. 12:12:00 AM Forest Lord: Anomie: "...that was a recent development." 12:12:01 AM Rune: She's very hormonal right now, it isn't her fault. 12:12:19 AM Rune: Is it? What did you do before criming? 12:13:01 AM Forest Lord: Anomie: "...depends how you define criming." 12:13:08 AM Quill: Doing crime. 12:13:42 AM Forest Lord: Anomie: "Then I was being five." 12:14:01 AM Forest Lord: Anomie: "I mean, I guess there was that...you know what, not important." 12:14:10 AM Rune: You have a lot more experience than I thought. There was what? 12:14:56 AM Forest Lord: Anomie: "I mean...there was that time where I wasn't doing crime, but I kind of was...how bad do you view impersonation." 12:15:19 AM Rune: Stealing identities? 12:15:33 AM Forest Lord: Anomie: "Making them up. Paperwork and all." 12:15:46 AM Rune: Oh, that's probably only a crime if you profit from it. 12:15:57 AM Rune: Just regular fraud. 12:16:05 AM Forest Lord: Anomie: "...I almost did...sort of." 12:16:29 AM Rune: You've had a very interesting life. 12:17:10 AM Forest Lord: Anomie: "Thank you. You too. I mean, you went from being a hermit to kind of an extra-dimensional police officer." 12:18:11 AM Rune: Thank you! I suppose that is interesting when you put it that way. 12:18:39 AM Forest Lord: Anomie: "And we're both abandoned at birth, so...kind of kindred spirits there." 12:18:54 AM Rune: Oh, I wasn't abandoned. I was brought. 12:19:12 AM Forest Lord: Anomie: "...what's the difference?" 12:19:58 AM Rune: Well, they made jolly sure someone was going to take me in. They could have just dropped me down a well--there's a very deep old well not that far from the road. Or there's the river. It's a very pretty river, they must have crossed the bridge to get to grandmother's. 12:21:04 AM Forest Lord: Anomie: "...wait...they literally went over the river and through the woods?" 12:21:58 AM Rune: Well, technically they had to have gone through the woods, over the river, through more woods, over the river again and then got there, yes. It's a very windy river. 12:22:44 AM Forest Lord: Anomie: "Still kind of sounds like abandoned to me. I mean, I was left at an orphanage, same basic idea." 12:23:17 AM Rune: Left isn't the same as abandoned, either, though. 12:24:30 AM Forest Lord: Anomie: "I guess." 12:26:00 AM Rune: I don't know, I feel like they were very good parents really. 12:27:00 AM Forest Lord: Anomie: "...whatever. I'm going to bed, I think." 12:27:13 AM Rune: Goodnight! 12:27:23 AM Quill: Quill waves. 12:27:53 AM Forest Lord: Anomie goes upstairs to change. 12:28:34 AM Rune: She's very odd sometimes. 12:29:21 AM Quill: Most of the time, I find. 12:31:19 AM Forest Lord: And I think I'm calling it.